


Foxes at Fushimi-Inari

by Lalikaa



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, New Years, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25171978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalikaa/pseuds/Lalikaa
Summary: Kita brings his team together for a New Year's pilgrimage to Fushimi-Inari Taisha.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 29





	Foxes at Fushimi-Inari

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy!! I loved writing Inarizaki so much! :D

It was fitting, Kita realized, that they had settled on their team’s New Years’ pilgrimage to be to Fushimi Inari-Taisha. The Spring Tournament was less than a week away, yet Kita wasn’t nervous, not really, anyway. He had complete faith in their team to succeed and win Nationals.

January 1st rolled around, and Kita arrived at Kobe Station approximately 20 minutes early. If there was one thing that his grandmother said was valued more than cleanliness in the eyes of the gods, it was punctuality. 

Five minutes later, Aran arrived, followed by Suna and Gin, and then a few nervous first-years; Ryusei, Shoma and Haruki. Atsumu and Osamu were last, arriving with less than two minutes before the train came, arguing quite loudly. Kita was sure this wasn’t the best way for the twins to start off their new year, but he kept it to himself.

“We wouldn’t have been late if someone hadn’t decided to take an extra nine years putting gel in his hair!” Osamu was saying as the group pushed through the turnstiles.

“I think what held us back was someone deciding he needed thirds on breakfast!” Atsumu shot back. 

Their arguing was cut short by the team having to make a dash to catch the right train on time. While trains left for Fushimi Inari often, the later in the day it got, the more crowded the trains would be. Kita was relieved they had made it on time, though he did understand that asking high schoolers to meet at 7 AM on a day off was asking a lot. He was glad his team pulled through, though he liked to think they all knew how important this pilgrimage was to him.

\-----

Of course, it was Atsumu who suggested they climb the mountain in the biting winter air. It wasn’t as cold as say, Tokyo, but for those used to a sweltering humidity in summer, especially living by the water, you couldn’t fault them for shivering despite their coats. 

Atsumu and Osamu seemed to be hot-blooded from the get-go, as on a rare occasion of agreement, they both insisted it would be good luck, and win over the gods’ favor, if they could pay respects at the shrine located on the very top of Fushimi Inari. No one wanted to argue, so their climb ensued.

No matter how many times Kita had been to Fushimi Inari-Taisha, he would never grow tired of it. In fact, he would go as far to say it was his favorite shrine in Kyoto, maybe in all of Japan (though he also loved the quiet lake shrines of Hakone, the one time he had been with his grandmother). 

Every fox statue near the front of the several shrines they passed seemed to grin at them, surely appreciating their pilgrimage. The deep, bright orange of the torii loomed over them in what Kita perceived a comforting way. Besides, each company slogan still represented a wish or a prayer, much like the thousands upon thousands of ema left at Fushimi Inari over the years. Just as Kita started pondering over exactly how many prayers had been left over even just the past decade, Gin suggested; “Hey, let’s fill out some ema.”

They walked over to one of the small shops, about a fourth of the way to the peak. They each bought one, and while the rest of the team invested their time and energy into drawing faces on their fox ema, Kita carefully considered his prayer first. 

“Your fox looks hideous, you didn’t even have to look in a mirror to draw it,” Osamu was saying to Atsumu, who was apparently trying to create a fox-version of himself on his ema.

“All I had to do was look at you!” Atsumu snapped, leaving the rest of the team in roars of laughter while Osamu shouted, “You’re only jealous that I’m the handsome twin!”

“You’re identical,” Gin pointed out.

“My only flaw, truly,” Osamu admitted.

“You sure that’s your only flaw?” Suna said slyly.

“I’m still not sure if I should draw Naruto or Luffy,” Aran muttered, cleary growing bored of Suna and Gin razzing the twins. This led to a passionate discussion between Aran and the first-years on who was the better Shounen Jump protagonist (Shoma bravely brought Ichigo into the mix). 

“Why don’t you all draw each of your favorites?” Kita suggested mildly.

This was met with a “Thanks, captain!!” as each of the first-years drew their favorite protagonist, so that all three discussed were represented. 

“But now who am I supposed to draw?” Aran said, bemused.

“What are you drawing, Kita?” Gin asked, now leaving Suna on his own to annoy the twins (to Suna’s credit, he was doing a stellar job).

Kita stared down at his blank ema. “I’m trying to think of a prayer first.”

“That’s very like you,” Aran grinned. “I wished for victory!”

“Me too,” Gin said. 

Kita didn’t just want victory, though. He wanted…

Osamu and Atsumu were finally done bickering, and Suna seemed to be writing down his own prayer. The first-years were still adding details to their shounen fox protagonists. Kita thought about the rest of the team who couldn’t come today. He wished they would’ve been able to. He wished they could’ve all been together today.

And so, he wrote: “I hope my team stays together as long as possible.” On the front he drew a shaky volleyball. Aran read it over his shoulder, and smacked his shoulder so hard that Kita at first was alarmed he would be knocked over, but recognized the sign of affection for what it was. 

“Alriiiiight, let’s go, let’s go!” Aran announced.

About three-quarters of the way up the mountain, Kita was seriously considering adding mountain-climbing to potential team exercise ideas. Especially climbing the never-ending steps on the mountain in the dry, brisk air. They stopped several times; three times at Kita’s favorite shrines to pray, two times to rest, once to stop and check the map (they had accidentally gotten turned around at one point and found they were somehow going in the wrong direction), and once for Atsumu to take a selfie with all of them in it for his instagram story (which was difficult, as he’d apparently forgotten his selfie stick, which he blamed Osamu for. Kita offered to take the photo, which was immediately shot down, so after a few failed attempts, Aran asked a kindly older woman to take their photo for them).

At the summit, all nine boys slightly out of breath, they paused to grab hot drinks out of the vending machine (which started a conversation about how you would land a job as a vending machine filler for a big shrine like Fushimi Inari).

In his heart, Kita knew his team wouldn’t stay together forever. Not even all of them could make it out today. Winning Nationals wouldn’t keep him from graduating, from leaving the team, his team. 

He felt a tear track down his one cheek, and quickly wiped it away. Aran saw him, though.

“You alright?” 

“Just the mountain air,” Kita said, which was partially true. “But you know,” he added. “I think this is enough. Being together now, I mean.” Words then failed him, and he felt his eyes well up, more tears threatening to fall. He turned away then, and Aran followed Kita’s gaze to their team now taking turns praying at the shrine, all likely wishing for success at Nationals.

Aran smiled. “You know, Kita-san, I think you’re right.”


End file.
